This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Tracked vehicles, such as track-driven mining vehicles, run on continuous tracks comprising a system of vehicle propulsion in which a continuous band of treads is driven by two or more wheels. The tracks provide a large area of support contact with the ground so that the vehicles can be used on many different types of terrain. The tracks are typically built from a series of segments, or shoes, pivotally connected by a plurality of pivot pins mounted in bushings within the shoes. The pivotally connected shoes provide flexibility to the track, wrapping around the set of wheels to make an endless loop.
The shoes and/or pins of the track may be damaged or become worn from continued use, and require removal for replacement or repair. In order to remove a shoe from the track, the pin must be removed from the bushing. Typically, the pins are bent or otherwise damaged as the tracks encounter normal wear and tear (e.g. on uneven terrain, etc.), making the pins more difficult to remove from the shoes. In conventional track shoes, the pins are typically removed by utilizing a lug welded to the end of the pin. A come-along (i.e. hand operated ratchet lever winch) is then attached to the lug, or a large towing force (e.g. a truck) is applied to the pin, pulling the pin from the shoe. Removing the track shoe pins from these conventional track shoes using such tedious methods and rudimentary equipment can be time-consuming, causing unnecessary vehicle downtime. Also, conventional pin removal often damages other components of the vehicle.
An example of a conventional crawler shoe can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,335, issued Aug. 16, 2005, for “Crawler Shoe with Peening Pads in Roller Path.” This patent discloses crawler shoes that are connected to one another by removable, replaceable pins. The pins permit articulation of adjacent shoes and are removed to replace the shoes as the shoes become worn.